Hidalgo. The Chapels of Atotonilco de Tula 1.

In this and upcoming posts, we look at three early colonial buildings in Atotonilco de Tula in southwestern Hidalgo: first the main church of Santiago, and then two regional chapels: those of San Jose Zacamulpa and San Pedro Boxfi.

We begin with the principal church of Santiago, with a focus on its sculpted front.  The nave is built from rubblestone, braced by exterior buttresses and capped  by rows of merlons.

Beautifully carved from soft golden limestone, the west porch stands out against the coarsely textured facade, braced by angled buttresses. 

The ensemble is a classic example of 16th century Plateresque style. Outsize winged angel heads seem to fly out from the arch above doorway, barely contained by the Franciscan cord around them. 

Grotesque style compositions of cherubs posing in a stylized garden of birds fruit and flowers, all modeled in the round, adorn the jambs.

Haloed statues of Peter and Paul occupy Gothic flavored niches to either side of the doorway, whose canopies are carved with crouched animals and winged cherubs.

 

The other feature of interest is the rose window overhead, possibly the earliest such example in Mexico, whose intricate tracery adds a touch of refinement to the rough masonry of the upper facade, 

Unusually, no image of the patron saint appears on the facade, although a worn relief of the Franciscan stigmata on the stairway wall beside the church (red arrow) indicates its Franciscan origins. A larger related relief in better condition can be seen at nearby Apaxco

Apaxco relief

Text, photographs and graphics © 2024. by Richard D. Perry

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